Is This The Worse Mercedes Repair Ever ?

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Ray1888

Active Member
Joined
May 30, 2016
Messages
80
Location
Dundee
Car
CLA 45 AMG
Try to keep this brief,had an accident in October,ran over a exhaust back box,was half a mile from Mercedes garage so limped down there.Car was badly damaged underneath,it got a new steering rack,steering ecu,new sump,middle exhaust box,and rear crossmember was replaced.was told £6k to repair.Insurance paid it (LV) and got it discounted to £4K ,now the fun begins.
Picked up the car 18 days later,6-30 at night,service is closed,salesman had keys.I drove the car 20 yards and power steering FAILS,garage is 100 yards from main carriageway way home where I would have being doing 70 on journey home?? A mechanic was doing overtime he sticks it on the machine and 30 mins later says it's fixed ? Apparently they download a program to the ecu and lets it know what car the steering box is on? I'm told their must have been a glitch with the wifi and it never download properly?I ask can it happen again? Can't guarantee it won't I'm told? GM says it electronics and electronics go wrong?im not finished!! I notice black tape on steering,I lift tape and leather is missing from 6 inches on the wheel???(picture of damage) we will replace wheel I'm told? 4 large bolts also found in passenger door card? Driving next day I notice steering has been put on off centre by about an inch ??? Waited on a call from service manager,nothing so I call him,I will pick your car up and replace steering (I want it put on straight I tell him) why was it damaged? Will call you and tell you,yeah still waiting.I tell him I'm livid and what is he going to do about this incompetence?he tells me all he will do is replace fuel on the 40 mile journey to the garage???they put in half a tank. Car is a 14 plate e350 coupe and purchased at another Mercedes garage.got a customer survey from Mercedes that I haven't filled yet,just think they don't know the how serious a power steering failure could have been? all thoughts and advice welcome
Cheers
 

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The attitudes of some garages is that you should be honoured that they are even contemplating looking at your car, then charging you the Earth for the privilege of looking at your car, and if you are not satisfied then you should take your business elsewhere, leaving them with the cash you paid in the first instance.

We live in a society where business expects you to pay up front for a service that waivers, and expects us NOT to complain. You often hear the phrase, 'Moaning Minnie', referred to customers who make an issue of a repair. We are expected to keep our gobs shut and accept the work done for us without question.

Stand up for your rights. If you, or your insurer, has paid good money, then you expect a standard of quality in the work they do. If your insurer has negotiated a discount, the work should not diminish. You should still get the same quality of finish that was offered before the discount was negotiated.

Companies are all too willing to take your money, then offer you little in return. They are entitled to make a profit, but only after they have done the job paid for. To skimp on a repair to increase their profit is not acceptable.

If the service department tells you that you paid less for the repair, so you got less, inform them that your insurer negotiated the discount, and that if they weren't happy with this discount that they should not have accepted the job. The fact that they did accept the job, regardless of what they got in payment, means that they should complete the job to an acceptable level. Tell them that you are not happy with their level of service and repair, and expect them to do the job properly.
 
Awful.

But relax, a little, if the power steering failed at speed you'd be ok. It's going around a tight bend at 2 mph that you'd have noticed it.
 
Don't let up, you won't get joy from the service manager by the sounds of it. Go above him if he's going to have a ****e attitude towards you.

The fact nobody told you about the steering wheel, left it in hoping you didn't notice, the inconvenience, poor workmanship and for a large repair bill.

Keep chasing them until you're satisfied with the situation
 
I just find it incredible,Mercedes is a so called premium brand,we all pay premium prices when we deal with them,I really think I have received. Cowboy back street garage workmanship and service?
 
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I just find it incredible,Mercedes is a so called premium brand,we all pay premium prices when we deal with them,I really think I have received. Cowboy back street garage workmanship and service?

Few actually pay premium prices for them nowadays. It's all marketing...they aint what they used to be.
 
I had two Vauxhalls over 10 years, regularly used two different dealers in London and one in Suffolk, and could not fault them.

I am amazed that Mercedes dealers provide such poor service - and that MB UK readily admit that there is an issue with the UK dealer network - and every couple of terms say they will tackle it.... but then nothing changes.
 
If it's a bigger dealer group see if they have a regional manager and escalate.
 
Had an issue last year with my local main dealer at MOT time.

2014 car failed its MOT on a damaged NSF suspension bush which was replaced under their approved used car warranty.

2015 car failed on a split NSF balljoint cover on the other suspension arm. This cover is not available on its own so that will be £345 please sir as the whole arm has to be purchased. The cover did not split through old age (perished) but through someone "possibly" damaging it the previous year when they replaced the suspension arm under warranty. The only persons that have near the front of the car with tools is the dealer :fail:

Kenny
 
I'd suggest a complaint to the insurer too, as they paid for the work to be carried out.
 
Had an issue last year with my local main dealer at MOT time.

2014 car failed its MOT on a damaged NSF suspension bush which was replaced under their approved used car warranty.

2015 car failed on a split NSF balljoint cover on the other suspension arm. This cover is not available on its own so that will be £345 please sir as the whole arm has to be purchased. The cover did not split through old age (perished) but through someone "possibly" damaging it the previous year when they replaced the suspension arm under warranty. The only persons that have near the front of the car with tools is the dealer :fail:

Kenny

On a general note...

Ball joint covers are not available on their own from the dealer, but as long as you have the dimensions then you can purchase aftermarket once from motor factors (or online) for pennies.

Of course this only makes sense when a cover is damaged on an otherwise serviceable ball joint, i.e. if the cover failed due to age then leaving the old ball joint in place would be false economy given the labour involved.

And on another note.... I always replace suspension components in pairs, though dealers are reluctant to do this when covered by warranty.
 
The rot set in a long time ago, when Mercedes UK ? or the Mercedes parent company ? forcibly " rationalised" the dealer structure in the UK from what were often individually owned family businesses to "groups" of dealers leaving customers in a certain area restricted choice for purchase and servicing. How did they achieve this, allegedly by making them an offer they couldn't refuse ----- sell the business or lose your MB franchise!
 
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The rot set in a long time ago, when Mercedes UK ? or the Mercedes parent company ? forcibly " rationalised" the dealer structure in the UK from what were often individually owned family businesses to "groups" of dealers leaving customers in a certain area restricted choice for purchase and servicing. How did they achieve this, allegedly by making them an offer they couldn't refuse ----- sell the business or lose your MB franchise!

Yes, I remember that, it was in the mid-nineties I think.... Alan Day used to sell MBs and stopped when the franchise was taken away from them. MB UK said at the time that they did this in order to improve customer service... in 2010 I had my car serviced at one of the MB UK owned dealerships and the customer service was still abysmal. Haven't been to an MB dealer since. But I guess with warranty repairs you don't get much choice and have to use the dealer anyway .
 
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Had an issue last year with my local main dealer at MOT time.

2014 car failed its MOT on a damaged NSF suspension bush which was replaced under their approved used car warranty.

2015 car failed on a split NSF balljoint cover on the other suspension arm. This cover is not available on its own so that will be £345 please sir as the whole arm has to be purchased. The cover did not split through old age (perished) but through someone "possibly" damaging it the previous year when they replaced the suspension arm under warranty. The only persons that have near the front of the car with tools is the dealer :fail:

Kenny

I'm not defending the dealership but maybe the technical who was replacing the bush damaged the cover and now has two options,1, confess the damage to his manager and get a royal rollicking, maybe the sack and the dealership pays for his damage or,2, he says nothing, puts the wheel on and hopes nobody checks his work, goes for option 2 gets away with it and twelve months later the dealership looks bad.
 
goes for option 2 gets away with it and twelve months later the dealership looks bad.

......and the customer is £345 out of pocket.

Not only did they get my servicing and MOT payments I am now expected to pay for their mistakes.

At the end of the day the technician is employed by the dealer so their work ethic whether good or bad has a knock on effect to the dealers reputation.

Kenny
 

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